Happy New Year in Sydney

December 30 - Have enjoyed our time among the stunning Blue Mountains. Now down to the serious stuff - New Year's Eve in Sydney. Up early for the two-hour drive back to the city. Manage to retrace our steps through the suburbs thanks to the excellent map-reading skills of Mrs W (no Sat Nav, we are trying to keep to a bit of a budget, honest).
Staying three nights at Manly - different accommodation (not remotely as nice as Darren's and Adele's in Freshwater). In fact, this one is a rip-off (pokey describes it in a nutshell) considering what they are asking, but our hands are tied as everywhere seems to be full and accommodation prices have trebled - something to do with NYE perhaps! On the upside it's a three-minute stroll to Manly seafront where we enjoy some swimming and a lazy lunch.

New Year's Eve - Set off around 10am from the North Shore on Manly-Sydney ferry on a perfect day - clear blue skies and sunshine. Sunnies (sunglasses) on and picnic in the rucksacks. Taken advice from locals on good vantage point to see midnight fireworks and they have suggested Milson Point, opposite side of Harbour Bridge from Opera House.
After docking at Circular Quay, we walk across bridge. Already little park there filling up with people, but we find a little patch to call home for the day and get chatting to our 'neighbour' Jacqueline, who has been doing this for years and knows the routine like the back of her hand.
She is very kind to the Welsh 'tourists', lending us a sun umbrella and is also more than happy to keep an eye on our gear while we wander off occasionally.
It's a bit like a rock festival - but without the music - with a great atmosphere down on the waterfront and we are grateful to Jackie that we can come and go as we please (it's a long, long time until that clock ticks down to 2011).
We break up the day with a couple of coffee and pub stops (John happy to find cider on tap at the Kiribilly a couple of hundred yards up the road).
Nine pm sees a mini fireworks display designed for families with young children and, before you know it, we are counting down to midnight and the real deal. Ten, nine, eight .... and so on it's Happy New Year accompanied by a 12-minute fireworks spectacular from the bridge that lights up not only the harbour, but the Opera House and downtown high-rise skyline opposite us, while hundreds of boats lit up with fairy lights dazzle like jewels on the water. Stunning, although we admit to missing Big Ben's chimes.
Fun and games over, the masses disperse slowly, but the bridge doesn't reopen to pedestrians until 1am. No worries. We linger to watch fellow revellers make their way home before a weary walk back to the city and the quay to catch a very noisy and boozy ferry back to Manly around 2.30am. At 3am we crash into bed exhausted, but well happy that we have experienced such fabulous celebrations.

New Year's Day - After late start to morning (surprise, surprise) manage to send our New Year greetings home via Skype. Had intended to do part of Manly Scenic Walkway, but it's a sweltering start to 2011 and, quite frankly, we are whacked.
A much better bet all round is a lovely corner Greek taverna. Grab a table outside in the shade and spend idyllic couple of hours over moussaka and lamb skewers, washed down with a couple of beers and lots of ice cold water, watching the world go idly by.
Late afternoon (temperature has cooled nicely) sees us head for a nap on the beach, while the Manly surfers stoke it up on the breakers. So much for that New Year's Day walk we had promised ourselves. Oh well, there's always next year.

Jan 2 - Head into heart of Sydney for couple of nights and find cheap (well cheap for city)accommodation in Chinatown. John hoping to see if he can land ticket to watch first day of final Ashes Test series between Australia and England at the SCG (Sydney Cricket Ground), but is not too optimistic as famous old venue only holds 46,000 spectators.
Have travelled on ferry with cases and rucksacks and then by bus to hotel (no taxis). What savvy travellers we think we are. Not remotely savvy was our choice of restaurant to eat that night in Chinatown. We had planned on going budget, but end up paying rather more than we had anticpated. Savvy? Not a bit of it on reflection.
Still a decent enough meal and a nice end to an afternoon spent walking around the Darling Harbour marina, Sydney Fish Market (if you like fish then this is a must) and the old and interesting Pyrmont region (take in some live blues music at rambling old pub on bridge early evening).

Jan 3 - First day of final Ashes Test and John learns it's a sell-out despite England having won the series. Chris has sights on spending a day by herself to catch up on a few things (shopping), so he'll head across city to SCG to soak up a bit of the atmosphere and on the off-chance that a tout might be flogging a spare ticket.
Major result (not England's eventual win). Stumbles across an Australian fan desperate to unload a couple of tickets he has been given as a birthday present. Some of his mates who had planned to join him couldn't make it so he has spares and, with wickets pitched in under an hour, needs to unload them fast. John picks up a $90 ticket for $60 and can't believe his luck.
While Chris enjoys some retail therapy, John (his seat turns out to be a good one) enjoys the cricket. Not the best day's play perhaps - a couple of rain interruptions - but Barmy Army in good voice and it ends with England turning the screw again.
That night we end up in a karaoke bar in Chinatown and enjoy a good laugh (no we didn't participate) before heading back to hotel with Thai takeaway (much cheaper and better) supper.

Jan 4 - Heading off to Gold Coast to stay with Geoff & Angela, a lovely couple we briefly met on flight from Auckland to Brisbane several weeks ago. They have invited us to their home in Sanctuary Cove for a few days.
Dodgy-looking shuttle bus (can't get seat belts to work) picks us up to take us to airport. Bus arrives early (we haven't checked out of hotel yet) and when we eventually get on are met by frowns from other travellers. Not our fault, guys. A cheery good morning from Chris does nothing to appease glum-faced fellow passengers. No response. What a miserable bunch. What's the problem. You have hours to spare.
Smooth flight into Brissie where airport train take us south to Helensvale and link-bus to the Gold Coast to meet up with Geoff & Angela.